Lessons

LESSON 1: Don’t ask for permission

If I had to choose the single most valuable and important lesson that I learned from DIY culture, it's that you don't need anybody's permission to act on an idea that you're passionate about. The only permission you need is your own: the permission to jump in with both feet into something you know absolutely nothing about and figure it out as you go. The classic example of this mindset was when the punk and hardcore bands of the 1980s pioneered the concept of DIY touring as we know it, when bands like Black Flag took matters into their own hands and booked their own tours, sidestepping the lame "rock club" circuit and building their own scene. Just a few of the zines that inspired me back in the day. I could literally write a book about how many amazing zines there were in the 90s and how much they meant to me.…